A new app from BJ Novak… without trolls 👹

We have two special guests joining us: Dev Flaherty (formerly SVP of UX at Fab) and B.J. Novak (GIF star, formerly Ryan from The Office). Today they're taking over the newsletter to introduce Kiyo, a new social app without trolls and vanity likes.

Kiyo grew out of our experience building and running The List App. With that app, we learned how to build tools that enabled people to more easily express themselves: a blank page is intimidating, a bullet point is empowering. It was a creative, thoughtful, positive, and expressive community.

Unfortunately, the app contained many of the same structures that have left many feeling exhausted by the performative nature of social media. Things such as likes and public comments made it increasingly difficult for people to express themselves honestly and freely.

We keep hearing that people feel pressured to stay 'on brand' which creates pressure to only share a curated version of your life online.

However, we saw a light. We had learned how to build great tools for lasting, meaningful self-expression and believed that if we placed those tools in a more personal setting, peoples' eclectic, beautiful selves just might flourish there. And so that's what we've done with our new app, Kiyo. We think of it as a personal media app.

Check it out and let us know what you think on Product Hunt. 😺

- Dev, B.J., and the other Kiyocats

Check Out Kiyo

So we’re just… talking to software now?

ElevenLabs has been the go-to for voice for a while. Now they've turned that expertise into agents that actually get things done. You set one up, it talks like a real person, listens, responds, and helps handle the task — support calls, bookings, whatever the job is. Not a demo, not a "press 1 for sales" situation. It's ready to deploy. Feels like one of those shifts where the interface quietly changes. Less typing, less clicking, more just saying what needs to happen and letting it play out.